Apprehension
by Spiritua Masquerade
Summary: The journey is over, the world is saved, and Iselia is wrapped up in a contageous jubilance. But one Summoner isn't quite as happy, and it's up to a certain Swordsman to figure out why. [Shelloyd][MERRY CHRISTMAS MORGAN AKA INSANEIAC THE MANIAC!]


**Spiritua: **I made this one for my bestest buddy Morgan. :p Well, _one_ of my bestest buddies. Hehe. And he'd better appreciate it, because I absolutely NEVER write Sheelloyd. I've gone so far as to claim I'm allergic. Heh. So... Have fun, Morgan, and enjoy the show. :D

Apprehension

It was a sunny day. The two worlds, Sylvarant and Tethe'alla had been recombined into one, collectively known as Aselia, a name derived from the hero Lloyd Irving's hometown of Iselia. The Great Tree, named Yggdrasill, was flourishing, and, due to the sudden increase in the world's mana, everyone felt refreshed, invigorated, and optimistic. Half-elf prejudice was lower than it had been for thousands of years, though it still had a long way to go before it was completely dissipated, and the remaining Desians were all but disappearing in the newfound peace. All in all, the world was perfect that day. It was the sort of day that you couldn't help but smile.

Unless you were Sheena Fujibayashi.

She was sitting on a grassy cliff on the outskirts of Iselia forest, overlooking the ocean. She was garbed in her usual violet ninja attire, and her hair was tied back in the usual fashion. Her knees were to her chest, chin resting on her knees, and her eyes were distant and troubled. She gazed vacantly out over the ocean, the look that could unerringly be identified as thoughtful.

Her friends, the others... They were still in Iselia, where a celebration was being held in their name. It was a joyful party, with a feast of such quality that one would eat even beyond the point of bloated, just to savor all the wonderful tastes. Everyone was singing and dancing and laughing... And it wasn't just Iselians, either. People from all over the worlds had made the journey to celebrate with the Heroes of Aselia, almost doubling the small village's population. There was a similar celebration in nearly every city across the globe, but none more exciting and jubilant than this.

Yet Sheena wasn't there. She couldn't. It just felt wrong, to be gloomy at such a joyful occasion. Gloom, she knew from experience, was as contagious as herpes in a whorehouse. And just as miserable. The ninja had enough of a heart to spare the others from her melancholy.

She didn't know what it was, but she couldn't help but feel the way she did. It felt like a great feeling of loss... But after all, isn't all sadness from some sort of loss?

So the Summoner sat. Well, ex-Summoner now. The pacts had been completed, the worlds reunited, so the Summon Spirits' powers had been released from her grasp. Perhaps that was part of the cause for her sadness; the constant tingle of the Summon Spirits' presence in her mind and heart, the tingle she'd grown used to, was gone, and she felt empty without it. Hollow.

She paused, cocking her head slightly. Maybe, just maybe...

"_I call upon the disciple of frigid ice. Come, Celsius!_" Nothing. "_I summon the hammer of godly thunder, Volt!"_ Still nothing. "_The maiden of the mist, Undine!"_ The silence was deafening. "_Luna! Sylph!...Gnome?_" Yet none of them appeared, and what little spark of hope she'd had in her heart went out.

"_Sheena_?" Came a surprised voice from behind her. She didn't need to turn around to recognize the one who spoke. Lloyd. Her ninja senses, on alert now that she'd been distracted from her thoughts, heard him approaching from behind, and she took a deep breath, readying to pretend she was okay.

The brunette came up beside her, sitting down cross-legged on the grass. His hazel eyes gazed at her concernedly a moment, before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Whatcha doin' all the way out here? You should be back at the party having fun!" He offered a slight smile, and Sheena forced herself to smile reassuringly in return.

"I just went for a walk, that's all. I don't really like lots of people anyways."

He seemed confused by this, and she wondered what she'd said wrong.

"Really? You've never minded people _before_. And you were gone an awful long time. I... I got kinda worried, and I came looking for you."

The swordsman gazed at her a moment, searchingly, and she couldn't help but look away.

"Sheena? What's wrong?" He questioned, softer, the concern returning to his voice. It was times like this that she wished he weren't so good at recognizing others' emotions. She wanted him to believe she was fine, to continue on his way, to leave her be... But at the same time, she wanted him to stay.

The ninja couldn't answer, merely shake her head helplessly in silence. She couldn't think of the words to describe the confusion and despair whirling about in her mind, and even if she could, she doubted he would understand. Lloyd was sweet, and caring, and strong and brave, but... though he tried, he often lacked in his comprehension. Some things, he got crystal clear, but others, he may as well have been told the quadratic formula of pi times thirty-seven squared times the square root of a hundred and twenty four.

"You can tell me, Sheena. I want to help. If my bestest buddy is sad, so am I," he continued, and it was her turn to look at him quizzically. Bestest buddy? That should be a good thing, right? She'd never had a best friend before, unless you count Corinne. Bestest buddy should make her smile, be happy... But instead, it revived a familiar yet unidentifiable ache in her chest. That one that she often got when he was around, but couldn't for the life of her figure out.

"What? What are you looking at me like that for?" He questioned, quickly glancing over his front and lifting a hand to his face to make sure nothing was too out of place and he wasn't drooling or anything similar.

"No, no, you look fine. Great, actually." She smiled reassuringly. He did, in fact, look great, in his white formal attire, though she doubted the backside of his dress pants looked that good, now that he'd planted it in the grass beside her. But he never really had cared how he looked, and he always seemed to look fine no matter where he sat or what he did anyways.

He grinned gratefully at the compliment, but that only lasted a moment, before he returned to his former concerned state. "So what's wrong?"

Sheena sighed. She'd been hoping he'd forget, or let it slide, or something. But, obviously, he hadn't.

"It's just... everything." She attempted, but this didn't satisfy his curiosity.

"What do you mean? Is it me?" He seemed slightly worried once more, and she hastily shook her head.

"No, no, none of it's you. Well, not _exactly_."

"Then what is it?" He prompted persistently.

"Well... It's like..." She sighed, knowing he wouldn't be satisfied unless she elaborated further. "Now that the journey's over, the Summon Spirits vows are gone, so I can't contact them anymore, they left me without even saying goodbye, and I feel kinda empty without them being here, or their power at least..."

"Is that what you were doing a minute ago? Trying to summon them?" He asked, his head cocked slightly.

"You heard that?" The ninja replied, slightly embarrassed.

"Nah, not really. I heard your voice, that's what told me where you were, but I couldn't hear anything you said," the swordsman explained, and she nodded.

"Well, yeah, that was me trying like a fool to Summon without a pact."

"Cheer up, Sheena! You can always reform the pacts, with a new vow!" He grinned, and Sheena cocked her head slightly in thought. Would that work? Yeah, it just might.

"But what if I fail this time? What if they don't like the vow? What if they don't accept me?" The same old worries flooded back, threatening to overwhelm the Summoner, and Lloyd seemed to sense this, wrapping his left arm around Sheena's shoulders and pulling her close into a reassuring one-armed hug.

"Don't worry about it, you'll do great. You're _Sheena_. You can do it."

Though his words weren't the best at reassuring the ninja, the fact that Lloyd had faith in her did the job twice as good as any words could.

"Thank you, Lloyd."

He grinned. "No problem! Now you said lots was wrong, what else is there?"

"It's nothing really, I'm just being selfish..." She attempted to dismiss the matter, but he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. For some reason, the ache in her heart grew stronger.

"Sheena, you dork, you're _never_ selfish," he smiled, and she tried to smile in return, but failed.

"It's just... Now that this journey is over, what's left for me? You have your Exsphere journey, Colette has the churches to deal with, Genis is going to the Academy, Raine is going to try and end discrimination, Zelos is going back to his luxury life, and Presea and Regal are rebuilding Ozette and Palmacosta. But I have _nothing_. I just... I don't want to be alone again..." She trailed off, her eyes tingling slightly with the very beginnings of a tear.

"But what about Mizuho? You're the Successor, remember?" He prompted, and the tears grew fiercer, until finally one spilled over, running a path down her cheek. She shook her head.

"No... A couple of days ago, I returned to Mizuho, and I gave the title to Orochi. He'll be a better chief than I could ever be." Her voice was just above a whisper, the loudest she could trust it without cracking.

Lloyd was silent for a moment, hesitant, as if caught in tough decision. After that moment, however, he lifted himself to his knees for mobility, and wrapped his other arm around her as well, hugging her tightly. Sheena's teary eyes widened in surprise, and the ache in her chest strengthened still as she wondered whether this was still simply an attempt to comfort her, or...

"Sheena, you'll _never_ be alone. I'll be here, if you want me to. I'll be here as long as you want me to. That's what best friends are for, right?"

Her heart sunk.

"Yeah, best friends..."

She didn't know why those two simple words could hurt her, but they did.

"Best friends is good, right?" The brunette questioned, apparently catching the pain in her tone. She nodded slowly, unwilling to explain herself and even more unwilling to endure the pain if he were to respond like she thought he would.

There was a silence between them, and another tear ran down her cheek. He rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Sheena? You dork, I said you wouldn't be alone, why're you still sad?" He asked her, his voice concerned once more. She barely kept from flinching at his action, because she knew what would happen. And indeed, the pain in her chest grew fiercer still.

"You wouldn't get it..." She refused, shaking her head. Another tear slid down her face.

"Of course I would. I could try, at least. I want to try."

She shook her head again, with yet another tear making it's way down her cheek.

"Sheena..." He trailed off helplessly, wanting to help her more than he'd ever wanted anything before, yet unable to figure out what to do. He did the only thing that came to mind, hugging her tighter. "It's okay, Sheena... Whatever's wrong, things will turn out fine. I promise."

At this she jerked away from his grip, leaping to her feet and whirling to face him. Her eyes were filled with hurt, and the tears came ever faster.

"You just don't get it, do you!?" She demanded. Lloyd's eyes widened in alarm, and he leapt back, hands up in a gesture of innocence.

"What did I do?! What don't I get?"

"You don't realize what you're _doing_ to me, the pain you're causing me every time you do something _nice_, every time you get closer or try to help me, you don't get it, do you?!"

The swordsman seemed equally hurt and confused at this point, taking a step toward her. "Sheena, what are you talking about?! I-"

"No! Just go back to the party, be happy, enjoy yourself." She backed a step, away from him.

"No! I won't leave until you tell me what the heck I did wrong!" He replied stubbornly, taking another step toward her.

"_Go_!" She shouted, taking another step back. But this time, there was no ground to catch her.

Sheena had stepped off the edge of the cliff.

Lloyd saw her as she started to fall, leaping toward her retreating form. "_Sheena_!" He threw himself toward the edge, hand extended, grasping for the Summoner's own outstretched hand. Their hands met... But only for a moment, as Sheena's fingertips brushed his, too brief for him to gain any hold on her wrist. And then she was gone.

"SHEENA!" He cried again in desperation, watching her fall toward her death on the ocean crags far below. Suddenly, a white-hot presence was felt at each side of his waist. He glanced down. The Eternal Sword!

His wings!

Without further thought, Lloyd dove over the edge as well, keeping his body streamlined so as to fall fast enough to catch up to the flailing ninja. All the while, he reached deep inside himself, violently ravaging his powers in search of the ones to draw out his massive crystalline wings.

He caught up with her halfway down, spreading his arms and legs to slow his fall slightly.

"Lloyd, you _idiot_!" She cried, but he made no response, too busy searching for his wings and watching the water approaching quickly.

Closer and closer they drew to their death, but he still found no sign of his wings. He felt Sheena grab onto his arm, pulling herself close and burying her face in his chest. He instinctively wrapped one arm around her protectively.

_Come on, wings, come on!_

At last, he felt that familiar surge of power that he'd come to identify as wing-mana. In a hasty and violent fashion, he mentally jerked the mana from it's nook, and immediately a pair of wings took form on his back.

Wrapping his other arm around the terrified ninja, he gave his wings a powerful thrust, and felt themselves slowing, his mana fighting gravity itself. Another thrust, and they fell slower still. And by the fifth thrust, he was carrying them upward, nearly as fast as they had been falling.

When at last they were on land once more, the pair fell to their knees, exhausted and out of breath from the rescue and the sheer terror their fall had involved. Lloyd was the first to recover.

"If you want me to leave you alone, I can." He offered softly, and she shook her head.

"That's the last thing I want, Lloyd." Her own voice was a whisper, and she couldn't meet his gaze, feeling extremely guilty that she had yelled at him, now that he had saved her life and risked his own.

"Then why were you yelling at me? I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't want to hurt you in any way."

She shook her head, the tears spilling once more.

"It hurt because... every time you talked to me, smiled at me, hugged me, I knew it could never be what I hoped it would be."

"What do you mean, Sheena?" He seemed thoroughly and utterly confused.

For the first time since she'd fallen, her eyes met his. "Lloyd, I... I love you..."

His eyes widened a moment in surprise, and she looked away, biting her lip, bracing herself for rejection.

"Sheena, I..." He trailed off. After a moment of silence, she could stand it no longer.

"Just say it already. You don't feel the same way, you like me as a sister, whatever, just _say it_." Another tear fell, and Lloyd reached out, lifting her chin to look into her eyes.

"Sheena, I love you too. I have for a while now." He offered, and her eyes widened. She threw her arms around him in a massive hug, half in relief, half in gratitude for rescuing her, and half because it's something she'd wanted to do for as long as she could remember. He hesitated a moment, in shock, but then laughed and wrapped his arms around her in return.

"I promise, you'll never be alone again. And I'll help you make pacts with the Summon Spirits too!" He offered, and she shook her head.

"What if I screw up, and they go berserk like Volt?" She questioned with rounded eyes.

"You won't, you'll do great. But if they do, I'll be here to protect you. Just like last time." He smiled, and she smiled in return. "Now what do you say we head back to that party? The feast is due to start anytime now."

She grinned, and he joined in the grinning. The swordsman rose to his feet, bending down and effortlessly hoisting Sheena up as well. She laughed, struggling half-heartedly against his embrace, before giving in and letting him carry her. She laid her head down on his shoulder.

"Hey Lloyd?"

"Hmm?" He replied, his gaze meeting hers.

"Thank you. For everything."

The swordsman smiled. "That's what bes-... That's what lovers are for. That's what we are, right? Lovers?"

Though Sheena knew the many ways that people could interpret that word, she knew as well how he meant it, so she nodded.

"Forever."

"Forever and ever."

**Spiritua: **Wow. That was... Not as hard as I thought it would be. :O But it'll be my first and last Sheelloyd, so... don't get used to it. I know it sucks, but... bear with me. :P


End file.
